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It’s estimated that a new poetry journal is released every day, and in 2010 alone, more than 100,000 new poems will be published. But, it’s not reader demand that’s fueling this escalating trend. Instead, the vast majority of new poems and poets will never find much of an audience for their work. To talk about the new math of poetry is David Alpaugh, a poet and a writer.
Elaine Grant/New Hampshire Public Radio

Most people, when they think about it, can point to signs that have failed them: the hospital complex that felt like a labyrinth or the exit they always almost miss. But the truth is that signage today is far better than it’s been at any other point in history. A century ago, sign design wasn’t a profession to speak of; the signs that guided riders and pedestrians (there weren’t many drivers yet) tended to be informal and ad hoc. As the automobile took off, the world found it needed traffic engineers, and it was these men and women who were the first to think seriously about sign systems.
Julia Turner/Slate.com

from LetterCult

I only ask because this Branta Recommends shows off two of the “threats” of Sarah Brideau. A Masters student in Acadian Literature at McGill University in Montreal, Sarah is a published poet and talented photographer whose work regularly appears on the Midnight Poutine page for example. Inside you’ll find a more complete bio as well as a few sample photos and some poetry including a previously unpublished piece.

This is for those bookish music fans in the house. Flavorwire has answered a challenge put before them to come up with a 10 song playlist featuring songs about libraries and librarians. It’s a pretty diverse line-up featuring everything from Beach Boys to My Morning Jacket to Frank Zappa. And the best part of this is you don’t need a library card to check these out.

Beth Powning launching The Sea Captain’s Wife (Knopf Canada) at Sussex, NB Royal Canadian Legion. Yes that’s a boat prow.

Since the nights are still dominant for a few more months why not take the opportunity to see them through the eyes of Will Boucher? On his pic-a-day blog “Shot in the Dark” he is posting one low light night shot a day (or night). Check inside for an example and links to his page.

Then it occurred to me: Podcasts!!! I’d had my iTouch for over a year and other than my own Surgery Radio podcast I hadn’t explored what free entertainments in this realm iTunes had to offer. As it turns out there is quite a lot available, though it seems an overwhelming amount of the content is some adjunct to pre-existing media from another stream. Podcasts of CBC, NPR, BBC radio and TV shows condensed to highlight form. Little bytes from comedy shows or science programs. Fans gushing over Twilight, Glee or Lost. Something for a denominator of everyone. Click to see what I found to recommend.

Despite attempts (admittedly in vain) to avoid eye contact with the evidence of Xmas’ inexorable approach this tweet from Margaret Atwood’s extremely active Twitter feed caught my attention: “Birchbark cards Xmas & etc, handcut designs, bark gleaned by sometimes grumpy elves on fullmoon nites, no tree harmed!” Now, to be clear, Atwood isn’t selling these… only recommending them. Check out the company page linked within this post.